Jeffrey Drew Bennett, 45, passed away suddenly Dec. 7. He leaves behind the loves of his life, his two sons Alexander Drew and Chase Holden. In addition, Jeff is survived by his loving mother and father, Gary and Susan Bennett, Fair Haven; his brother Brian (Jaimie), Fair Haven; his sister Kerri (Dan), Middletown; his nephews Quinn, Bennett and Jackson and his niece Harper. He is also survived by his soul mate and loving partner, Mary Katherine Booth, Charlotte, North Carolina, whom he cherished and adored.
Jeff was born June 3, 1975 and grew up in Fair Haven where he attended Rumson-Fair Haven High School. He was an outstanding athlete, captaining his high school football and basketball teams. Jeff later attended and graduated from Elon University, where he continued his love of athletics as a member of the Elon rugby team. He loved Virginia Tech football, Seton Hall basketball and his beloved NY Giants and Yankees.
Jeff served on the admissions staff at Elon University, Queens University of Charlotte, St. Andrews University and Webber International University. His career path led to a successful career in sales, most recently with Underscore Branding (Underscore) and Brand RPM in Charlotte.
Jeff relocated to Charlotte in 2000 after college and, along with his good friend Rich Saner, started the Rich & Bennett St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl, which grew to draw over 25,000 people from all over the world to Uptown Charlotte in 2019.
Jeff had an infectious smile, a hardy handshake, an uplifting outlook and a loving and caring heart. He will be sorely missed by all who love him, including his scores of friends and family. ANGELS UP!
A memorial service will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Jeffrey D. Bennett Memorial Scholarship Fund at Elon University. Donations can be mailed to 131 Woodland Drive, Fair Haven, NJ 07704.
The article originally appeared in the December 24 – 30, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
